Why: Through powerful visuals and storytelling, the photo exhibit features the ethnic, generational and geographic diversity of both blood and chosen families from throughout Georgia to depict their lived realities. The message for legislators is that there is no typical American family and policies must reflect the state’s diversity.

Feminist Women’s Health Center, Racial Justice Action Center and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now are asking legislators to sign on to the Strong Families Resolution (HR 746) which highlights urgent issues affecting all families and commits legislators to doing something about them.
The Strong Families Resolution addresses four key areas that affect Georgia families: improving maternal and infant health by increasing access to affordable and comprehensive health care, addressing racial disparities in health outcomes, protecting all Georgia families, and helping families be productive at work and home.

“Our goal is to introduce legislators to the realities of Georgia’s “typical” families, who are more diverse and unique than our policies recognize,” affirms MK Anderson, Public Policy Associate at the Feminist Women’s Health Center. “The exhibit is an opportunity to introduce these families to our legislators through art so they will remember these stories when they are voting on issues like healthcare and the economy.”

About the Exhibit: Typical American Families was created in 2015 by artists Ross Oscar Knight and Carlton Mackey to capture stories and to explore what the definition of a family is. When they learned about the Feminist Women’s Health Center’s work and the Strong Families Resolution, they wanted to collaborate. “I believe that the concept of “family” is ever evolving in the U.S. as well as around the world,” said Knight. “I wanted to help elevate these stories in ways that can have meaningful impact on policies and these families’ daily lives.”